INDIANAPOLIS, July 1, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- More than a dozen public companies headquartered in Indiana will be taking part in a new professional investment conference in Indianapolis expected to attract analysts and professional money managers from the region and beyond.
The inaugural INVESTIndiana equity investment conference is the first such conference in Indiana to bring together publicly traded companies of various sizes, industries and capitalizations with the investment community.
The conference is scheduled to be held at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, on Sept. 11.
"This is a great forum that will provide professional investors and analysts a convenient way to gain in-depth insight into the performance and growth prospects of Indiana's leading public companies," said Terry McWilliams, an investor relations executive who is the conference's organizer.
The largest financial institution headquartered in Indiana and the state's second largest public company are participating in the event, as are companies in the medical/healthcare, manufacturing, high-tech/electronics, materials, real estate and banking sectors. Companies committed to the conference (listed in alphabetical order) include:
* Arcadia Resources, Inc., (AMEX:KAD), Indianapolis;
* German American Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq:GABC), Jasper;
* Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc., (NYSE:HRC), Batesville;
* Integra Bank Corporation, (Nasdaq:IBNK), Evansville;
* Interactive Intelligence, Inc., (Nasdaq:ININ), Indianapolis;
* Kimball International, Inc., (Nasdaq:KBALB), Jasper;
* Kite Realty Group, LP, (NYSE:KRG), Indianapolis;
* Lakeland Financial Corporation, (Nasdaq:LKFN), Warsaw;
* Old National Bancorp, (NYSE:ONB), Evansville;
* Steel Dynamics, Inc., (Nasdaq:STLD), Fort Wayne;
* Wabash National Corporation, (NYSE:WNC), Lafayette;
* WellPoint, Inc., (NYSE:WLP), Indianapolis;
* Zimmer Holdings, Inc., (NYSE:ZMH), Warsaw
CEOs, CFOs and investor relations professionals will give formal investment presentations and will meet separately with investment professionals and analysts who request a management meeting.
"For the companies, it provides a way to increase institutional investor awareness, educate analysts about the region and reach out to new investors," McWilliams said.
The Indianapolis financial analyst community, through the CFA Society of Indianapolis, is formally involved with the event and serves on an advisory board of financial, corporate and investor relations professionals planning and overseeing the conference.
The attendees are select professional fund managers, equity analysts and qualified financial professionals from the region and Wall Street who follow or invest in Indiana equities or their underlying industries. Attendance is on an invitation-only, first-come, first-serve basis, with conference costs (admission, continental breakfast, lunch, and keynote speaker) underwritten by the conference and its sponsors. Registration (subject to confirmation) is available at www.invest-ind.com.
"Not only does INVESTIndiana focus additional attention on Indiana's public companies, but the conference raises the state's profile as an excellent place for business and investment," said Erni Mann, an executive for Crowe Chizek and Company LLC. "It's a natural fit for Crowe, since we are a national firm, working globally with Indiana roots."
Steve Hackman, Chair of Ice Miller's Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions Group, said, "As the largest law firm in Indianapolis, we are excited to help spotlight some of Indiana's most exciting and promising public companies by bringing their top executives to Lucas Oil Stadium. Having represented many of these companies in business, finance and SEC matters, we are confident that their stories will resonate with a wide variety of investors."
In addition to title sponsors Crowe and Ice Miller, support for the conference comes from platinum sponsors Butler University College of Business Administration and Hilliard Lyons; and gold sponsors NASDAQ OMX, Marsh USA, and the Wall Street Transcript. In-kind gold sponsors include Bandy Carroll Hellige Advertising, BitWise Solutions, Harding Poorman Group, Ipreo, and PrimeNewswire, Inc. The event has been organized and planned with support from The CFA Society of Indianapolis and Mozaic Investor Relations.
The final corporate presentation schedule, keynote speaker and other activities will be announced as the event approaches.
Information about qualifications for attending and registration, as well as background about the presenting public companies and underwriting sponsors, can be found at INVESTIndiana's website: www.invest-ind.com.
EDITOR NOTE: An INVESTIndiana logo is available for publication. Email or call Terry McWilliams.